An Atypical January Day - No Snow Here!

No two winters are ever alike, of course, but thus far the beginning of Winter 2012-2013 is a lot like the beginning of last winter: milder weather than usual and very little snow to speak of. We've had a trace of snow this month, and the grand total for the season stands at 2.1" Yesterday and today it was in the 40's - and tomorrow and Saturday the paper shows a high of 53 for both days. That's 20 degrees above the normal high!

It turns colder on Sunday, and I'm sure we'll eventually get snowfalls worth shoveling. So I took advantage of the mild temps today to walk on the boardwalk along Lake Macatawa (for readers who live elsewhere, that lake is an inlet of Lake Michigan). 

I wasn't the only one out and about enjoying the nice weather:

Mallards and a white duck cruising around, always on the lookout for treats. You can see the lake in the background. 

Houses across the lake. With the lack of snow and the warmer-than-normal temps, it looked and felt more like March 10th than January 10th! 

Back to my side of the lake, where the Heinz plant resides (note the pickle-shaped sign on the side of the building). When the wind is blowing right, we can smell garlic and dill from the pickle processing. Always smells good! 

I typically walk on the boardwalk from one end to the other, then double back on it to return home. So on my return trip I encountered some of the same ducks:

They had come up quite close to me, clearly hoping to be fed, but I had nothing for them. So they gave up and took their leave of me - disappointed, no doubt, but I'd like to think that they were enjoying the nice weather as much as I was!